Good Eats

(Newser) - Burger King has launched a new Facebook application called “Whopper Sacrifice,” rewarding users who cull 10 people from their friends list with a free burger, Adweek reports. The ad campaign came out of ad agency employees' frustration with their own bloated lists. "We thought there could be some fun there," said one ad exec who admits to 736 Facebook friends. Sacrificed pals get a note saying why they've been axed. More »

(Newser) - Squirrel is quickly becoming a part of the British palate, as curiosity—and devotion to a native icon—drives Britons to try something new, the New York Times reports. The trend can be traced in part to the surging population of gray squirrels, a North American import. The grays have been crowding out the nation's beloved red squirrels (think Beatrix Potter), and it is the grays that are ending up as main courses. More »

(Newser) - Mark Bittman is a unique voice in American food writing, an “anti-foodies’ foodie” who rejects both the “chefolatry” of gourmet mags and Rachel Ray-style pandering, writes Laura Miller in Salon. His new book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating , is both exceedingly ambitious—it purports to offer a diet that’s healthier, more environmentally conscious, and cheaper—and downright practical. More »

(Newser) - New York’s vaunted Rainbow Room will shut down its dining hall next week amid the recession and a rent conflict, the New York Daily News reports. With the Rainbow Grill’s closure, the tourist hotspot at 30 Rockefeller Plaza will—temporarily or otherwise—be 40 employees lighter and limited to a bar and banquet hall. "It's such a classic New York place," one fan laments. More »

(Newser) - The Michelin Guide's first three-star Chinese chef is no celebrity who's pushing cookbooks and TV shows, the New York Times reports. Chan Yan-tak, who grew up as a kitchen hand and worked his way through Hong Kong restaurants, even quit the business to take care of his daughter. "My old colleagues started teasing me about when I’d get back to work," said Yan-tak. "I thought they were joking.”